


Reflection

by Neko_ryn



Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Demon Hunters, Demons, Fantasy, Idk how else to tag this? Without spoiling rip, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Self-Discovery, Seven Deadly Sins, Seven Heavenly Virtues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-05-25 15:26:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14980061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neko_ryn/pseuds/Neko_ryn
Summary: Centuries ago, several chosen families were grouped into seven clans that represented the seven heavenly virtues; after being granted the power of the angels they swore to protect the world against all evil. They spread to all nations in order to fulfill their mission, but even now evil continues to grow and thrive. Each year, the best of each clan are chosen to form a new group to give their lives in battle and fight the demons, but in this new world consumed by evil, how easy is it to fight alongside good?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Today I'm starting my second summer project and I'm bringing you this BTS fanfic I've been working on for a few weeks now, although it is not my first time working with fantasy, it is the first time I attempt something in this "line" (?) of work. I'm very excited about this story so I hope you all like it too!
> 
> You can expect weekly updates every Tuesday!

Namjoon saw his mother coming towards him through the mirror’s reflection; she had a smile on her face, but the skin around her eyes had a reddish coloring to it, she had obviously been crying. His eyes returned to his own reflection and he waited patiently for his mother to finish fixing his necktie and his hair, before turning around and standing up to face her.

“You look quite handsome like this.” She said, fixing the neck of his shirt before finally letting go. Her voice was slightly broken, but her lips refused to abandon the smile they held.

“Thank you.” He replied, grabbing her hand softly and tugging her towards the door. “Let's go mother, we’re going to be late.”

“You're right, let's go, we can't keep her waiting.” She agreed, and both of them walked out of the room.

Outside, Namjoon’s father had been waiting for both of them to be ready and come out. His black suit was very much just like Namjoon’s, a white stargazer lily hung from the left pocket of the suit’s coat, bigger than that of his son but still incomparable to the beauty of the flower that adorned his mother’s hair.

A car was already waiting for them when they exited the house; Namjoon recognized the driver as one of the servants of the Great Order, they had probably sent a car to pick up every member from each of the seven clans, it was a very important ceremony after all. They got into the car in silence and the driver started the engine without saying anything else but a formal greeting.

They arrived at an enormous church-like building, which was surrounded by tall iron fences and rich plantlife; the cupola at the top raised over everything else like it was reaching towards the sky. That building was known by most clan members as the Events Hall, since it was where every important occurrence took place: the birth or initiation of new clan members, the ceremony of creation of Family units and, of course, funerals and vigils; among other things.

The interior of the Events Hall looked even bigger than its exterior, there was a stage at the center where everything took place, and around the stage the rest of the hall was divided according to the clans; the stage was right under the magnificent dome, made up of stained glass adorned with stargazer lilies looking up at the sky. In the center of the stage, an altar made of granite stood empty, altar candles were placed around it along with bouquets of white stargazer lilies, recreating the traditional ceremonial place for a funeral. There was already a lot of clan members inside of the hall, all of them dressed in black, formal clothing and carrying a white stargazer lily with them.  
“I have to go and join my clan members, let’s meet after the ceremony is over.” Namjoon’s father said as they walked into the Events Hall.

They exchanged a brief goodbye and Namjoon watched as his father walked towards the other Temperantia clan members before following his mother to join the rest of the Humilitas clan; they were always separated when it came to official ceremonies, it had to do with something about order, but he had never really wrapped his head around it.

When almost every clan member was finally inside the room, the members of the Great Order walked in followed by a group of servants carrying the coffin and after them the rest of the members of the deceased’s Family. The coffin was made out of dark wood and the Humilitas symbol was carved on it, the servants placed it on the granite altar and left, leaving only the Great Order and the now incomplete Family at the top of the stage.

The official funeral ceremony started and Namjoon decided to block out everything, even the silent sobs that came from his mother, who had grown up along with the deceased and now had to let her go. He just couldn’t focus on those things, not when there was a badly folded letter inside his suit’s pocket telling him his life was about to make an important turn.

The death of a Family member meant said Family can’t be active as demon hunters anymore, because without a member that carried a certain virtue then the rest of the Family was a very easy target to demons of the opposite sin, and there was no need to waste lives stupidly like that. Instead, the rest of the members usually became teachers or gained important roles inside their own clan thanks to their experience in the field.

However, a Family that wasn’t useful for demon hunting anymore also meant there was the need for a new Family to replace them. Along with the preparations for the funeral, seven letters had been sent out to the ones chosen to be part of the new Family, to the best of each clan, and Namjoon had received one of those letters.

Namjoon couldn’t help but wonder if the other six members of his soon-to-be Family were inside the room with him; he should have been paying attention to what the Great Order was saying, but he just couldn’t do it in that situation. He glanced towards the Humanitas clan and looked carefully at the members that seemed his age, wondering just which of them would be his partner; he did the same with the Castitas clan, which stood across of his own clan at the other side of the Events Hall.

“We shall finish the ceremony with the floral offering. At the end, the Castitas clan will stay to start with the vigil that will end with the Humilitas clan on the seventh day. Please keep in mind that the new Family will be announced three days after the vigil has finished, until then, we will continue with the mandatory preparations. And remember, at times of sorrow like this, we must become stronger, because if we let ourselves be defeated by earthly feelings, who else will take our job?” The final words of the Great Order snapped him back into reality and Namjoon watched as they left the Great Hall right after leaving their stargazer lilies inside the coffin.

After them came the Family of the deceased and slowly everyone else went up the stairs and left their flowers inside the coffin too, leaving the Hall shortly afterwards. Namjoon too went up to the altar with his mother and put the flower inside the coffin; he looked at the woman for a moment, she looked very young, just like almost all the people of the funerals he had assisted so far, and for a brief moment he wondered if that too was his destiny. In the end, only Castitas clan members stayed.

* * *

A week passed by quickly enough, and the day after the vigil was finished the body was buried at the Clan’s cemetery. That same day, early in the morning, Namjoon was summoned to the Great Order’s house to meet the rest of his Family in order to carry out the proper traditions and ceremonies; they were given three days to know each other and agree on forming the bond, it certainly wasn’t much time, but a Family wasn’t to be based on relationships and closeness, but on sharing the same sense of responsibility.

Forming a Family was far more important than marriage or any other type of union among the clans, they were sacred and for a lifetime, the bond usually became stronger with time and if one of the members were to die then it was impossible to replace them. However, at a moment like that, when the bond hadn’t been formed yet, all of them were disposable; if someone decided they weren’t ready for such a responsibility they would be replaced with someone else in a heartbeat. The process seemed too cruel, but getting rid of one’s emotions was a necessary part of being a clan member.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t nervous, because he was, Namjoon was about to meet the people he would possibly form an eternal and sacred bond with and he wasn’t even sure if he had met them before at all. The servant dropped him off at the entrance of the Great Order’s residence and he got out of the car with his small suitcase that carried enough things to stay there for three days.

During those three days, the candidates for the new Family were supposed to stay together in a small house next to the Great Order’s so they could be monitored and also use the time to get to know each other better. Sleeping away from home and in foreign places had actually been part of the training at some point, so Namjoon didn’t feel uncomfortable with it, but nervousness was still present in the back of his mind.

He made his way into the main house first, one of the servants guided him through the hallways into a cozy living room; it wasn’t too big or excessively decorated, a few sofas and a coffee table took most of the space, and on the walls there were a couple of paintings and a clock who’s ticking filled up the silent room. Inside there were already four other people, all of them men and seemingly of a similar age to Namjoon’s; the servant closed the door behind him and like that he was left alone inside the room with who, he guessed, were some of the other candidates for the new Family.

He bowed slightly before heading to one of the empty couches, leaving his suitcase along with the rest of the luggage piling up next to the door. Namjoon recognized some of the faces present in the room, probably from training, but he couldn’t quite put a name to them; two of them were sitting next to each other on one of the couches and spoke in hushed whispers, the other two were also sharing a sofa but sat further apart from each other than the other two and looked at Namjoon with curiosity, which he reciprocated.

It didn’t took long before the two missing members arrived to the room, completing the list of candidates. This time around, Namjoon did recognize one of the two boys: Min Yoongi, a member of the Caritas clan; they had trained together for many years before being split apart. Still, Yoongi recognized him and flashed a small smile before taking his seat as the Great Order walked into the room, cutting short the time to greet each other.

“I see everyone is finally here, then we can get started with this.” Spoke the representative of the Industria clan, guiding the rest of the Great Order to take a seat somewhere in the room. “As you might know, from the content of the letters you all received, you’ve been chosen to be the members of the new Family since you’re all among the best in your respective clans.”

“As tradition says, we’re supposed to give you three days to make your decision, starting from today. You’ll be staying in the house next to this one, only the seven of you, so you can all make a decision.” Continued the woman belonging to Humanitas, her kind appearance made justice to her clan.

“We need to know if any of you don’t want to be part of the process so we can choose another suitable candidate, otherwise, we’ll send you right now to the place you’ll be staying at.” Temperantia, nothing less to be expected from a representative of said clan. Everyone was so much like the virtue they promoted that Namjoon couldn’t help but wonder if they would also end like that. “So, anyone who wants to leave?”

The room fell completely silent once again, the situation became a little tense as they all looked at each other, almost challenging the other six candidates to give up, something extremely frowned upon among clan members. It seemed like everyone was firm on their decision of going on with the process, which made Namjoon feel somewhat relieved for some reason.

“Very well then, please follow us.” The Great Order stood up to leave and the candidates followed close by. Namjoon took a moment for himself before breathing deep, grabbing his luggage and following the rest out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get to know each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! I'm back with the second chapter of Reflection, full of the interactions we all wish to see (?) I'm sorry for being a little late, it's just that I slept in xd But here it is, please enjoy!

The seven chosen ones sat in the cozy living room of the lent house all by themselves; the Great Order members had left after giving them a short, basic tour around the house, telling them to get comfortable and work on their relationship as a group. They were not to leave the house in the next three days and in exchange, no one would bother them by entering the house -emergencies were, quite obviously, an exception-.

The luggage was all piled up on one side of the room, but no one seemed too interested in getting to their designated rooms for the moments; maybe because they didn’t think it would be very polite to do so, or maybe because they didn’t want to miss out on what the others were doing, if they were going to be part of the same Family then they might as well keep an eye on each other. Either way, they needed to get the presentations out of the way.

“Uh, hi! My name is Park Jimin and I’m twenty-two; I’m a member of the Castitas clan, nice to meet you.” Jimin was the first one to speak, breaking down the tense silence that had taken control of the room; he was somewhat small compared to the rest of the people in the room, which gave him a somewhat cute appearance, which suited well his clan. The man sitting next to him was quick to follow.

“I’m Kim Taehyung, also twenty-two and from the Industria clan, nice to meet you as well.” His voice was considerably deep, Namjoon couldn’t help but note that particularity; he seemed quite serious at first, like you would expect from someone of his clan, but that facade broke down when he looked at Jimin and smiled. “I’m Jimin’s best friend, we’ve known each other for a long time.” If Namjoon had thought he looked slightly intimidating at first, that thought quickly disappeared with the sight of the two friends sitting next to each other.

“I’m going to feel old if no one else is around my age.” A man with broad shoulders and puffy lips -probably a weird thing to note- complained from the couch he was sitting on. “My name is Kim Seokjin, I’m from the Temperantia clan and I’m twenty-five years old; I don’t really know any of you but I’ve seen some faces during training, I’m hoping we get along.”

Things went quiet for a moment after Seokjin’s presentation; they just looked at each other without saying anything, hoping for someone else to continue with the introduction. The silence extended for too long and it was becoming uncomfortable until another man with the most cheerful smile Namjoon had ever seen decided to intervene, mostly by making a loud noise before actually speaking.

“I’m Jung Hoseok, twenty-four years old and part of the Humanitas clan. I’ve always been told about how great it is to be part of a Family, so I’m really excited about this and about working with all of you.” His sincere and constant smile made everything sound so fluid and nice, and Namjoon wondered for a moment if all Humanitas clan members were like that; but it couldn’t be possible for more than one person with such a smile to exist. Hoseok’s words made him so comfortable that he decided to speak up next.

“My name is Kim Namjoon, I’m twenty-three years old and a member of the Humilitas clan. I’m quite intrigued by what will become of us, so I’m hoping we get along and work well together; we were chosen because we’re the best in our respective clans, so we have to do our best and carry on our mission.” Namjoon couldn’t help but add that little speech to his presentation, he didn’t quite like the tension between the seven of them and wanted to help lift their spirits, it was a great honor to be chosen as a candidate for a Family, after all.

“As expected from Kim Namjoon, you always know what to say.” Yoongi said, a small smile betraying the serious expression he had put up until then. “My name is Min Yoongi, I come from the Caritas clan and I’m twenty-five years old as well, so I guess that makes us two.” Yoongi seemed slightly more comfortable after Namjoon’s little speech, if his posture was anything to go by. “What about you? You still haven’t introduced yourself.” He said, looking over at the remaining candidate, who had been quietly sitting by himself on one of the sofas.

“Me? Ah, yes.” The remaining man cleared his throat before speaking, he seemed somewhat shy for some reason. “My name is Jeon Jungkook, I’m twenty years old and I’m here in representation of the Patientia clan, and… Yes, that.” He seemed quite shy, which put off the others ever so slightly, but even then the other two youngest went to question and Namjoon thought that maybe, just maybe, they would be okay and work things out.

* * *

After chatting for a while, they each spent the night in their respective rooms, each reflecting what they had learned of the others. What woke most of them in the morning was the warm smell of freshly cooked breakfast that seemed to come from the kitchen they had spotted next to the living room. The first one to wake up, drawn in by the smell, had been Jungkook; the youngest had turned on his bed several times, debating between getting up or sleeping more, but he had ended up taking the first choice and making his way down to the kitchen.

Although he knew full well there would be no one else in the house but them, he still had been surprised to find Seokjin wearing a reddish apron as he flipped something on a pan. Jungkook had hesitated a bit first before he made his way into the kitchen, opening the fridge to pretend to look for something while he tried to peek on what Jin was doing, curious about what smelled so good.

“Did you lose something kid?” The question surprised Jungkook, who had thought he was being discreet, and the surprise caused him to close the fridge’s door a little too strongly, startling Seokjin back. “Easy there!” He laughed at the situation before making sure he hadn’t ruined whatever he was cooking. “Sorry for startling you.”

“It’s okay…” Jungkook decided it was best to just approach him and ask about the food, so he did exactly that. “What are you cooking, uhm…?”

“Hyung, you can just call me hyung, we’re going to be part of the same Family so we need to start working on getting closer.” Jin intervened, knowing exactly was was the other’s worry.

“Right, hyung, what are you cooking?” He repeated his question, a little bit more confidently.

“Well, a little bit of everything.” Jin pointed to the several pans and dishes he had around the counter, most of it were side dishes. “I guess you can see when it’s done? You can eat some fruit while you wait for it to be ready though, if you’re too hungry.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that, do you mind if I sit here and keep you company?” Jungkook said, walking over to grab and apple.

“Not at all! Make yourself comfortable.” Jin chuckled, sparing him a glance before going back to his work. They spent a little while like that, accompanied only by the sounds of Jin’s cooking and Jungkook’s apple crunch whenever he bit it.

“Do you like cooking, hyung?” The youngest finally asking, remembering what the others had said about getting to know each other better.

“Yeah, I guess you could say it’s like my hobby? We have to be able to survive on our own, so I thought cooking might be a good ability to learn.” Seokjin explained, shrugging off the topic with a smile.

“That’s pretty cool…” Jungkook murmured, immediately filling his mouth with the apple.

Namjoon walked into the kitchen at that moment, still looking somewhat sleepy and with his hands busy trying to fix his messy hair; Jungkook, who had been startled by the sudden appearance, accidentally dropped his apple and just stared at it for a moment before reaching down to grab it. The only problem with that was that Namjoon had moved faster than him and was already picking it up when the youngest leaned down, causing their heads to awkward bump against each other.

“Ah, sorry!” Jungkook was quick to apologize, straightening up and fusing over Namjoon without really knowing what to do.

“It’s okay, don’t worry.” Namjoon returned the apple to him with a smile, shrugging the incident off. “You might want to wash that before giving it another bite though.” Jungkook nodded, staring dumbfoundedly at the apple he had just received while a shy blush covered his face. He only snapped out of it when both Jimin and Taehyung arrived at the kitchen, finally standing up to wash the fruit and finish it.

After the bountiful breakfast which gained Seokjin quite a lot of praise, they went outside to the small backyard of the property and sat down around a garden table to talk. They all shared stories about themselves and their clans, and although it wasn’t anything deep, it certainly allowed them to know a little better about each other.

Jimin and Taehyung mentioned how they had known each other since they were young because their families were close to each other since both their fathers were in the same Family. On the other hand Hoseok had arrived along with his family when he was around seven years old and they had been initiated into the Humanitas clan shortly after; he mentioned that although things had been fairly different to his previous life, he had adapted quite quickly, probably because he was still young.

“What would you say you miss the most of being part of the normal world?” Seokjin asked, feeling slightly curious.

“Well… I guess there wasn’t that much discipline out there? I can’t remember anything specific but believe me, the outside world isn’t as profoundly organized as we are; but then again, order and discipline are like major principles of the clans.” Hoseok answered with a shrug, smiling sheepishly at the lack of a better answer.

“Well, I haven’t known anyone here for that long and I don’t come from the outside so I’m probably not that interesting, but my father is actually an instructor. One of his Family members passed away a few years ago so he started teaching, it’s quite possible you’ve met him in your lessons.” Yoongi said, sharing a little bit of himself. “There’s not much else to me though, what about you Jungkook?” He laughed awkwardly, trying to push away the attention from him and passing it to someone else.

“Me? Ah, I actually know Namjoon hyung a lot!” He exclaimed, immediately confusing everyone and causing a ruckus.

“I thought only Yoongi and Namjoon knew each other from before?” Seokjin questioned, giving Jungkook a look that said he wasn’t going to get away so easily.

“I didn’t mean personally… I don’t know him personally but Namjoon hyung is quite known for being the best of the generation, you’ll know if you see him fight! It’s amazing.” Jungkook went on speaking, it was easy to tell he was embarrassed by the redness of his face, but that didn’t stop him. “I’ve actually been training super hard myself just to get a chance of joining the same Family as him, so I guess it paid off.”

“Oh! So you are the Kim Namjoon, I doubted so when I first heard your name but it’s true!” Jimin exclaimed, influenced by the youngest’s excitement. “We’ve been grouped with a legend.”

“Guys you’re exaggerating, I’m no legend… We’re all very strong, the best of our clans, you can’t compare between clans just like that.” Namjoon mumbled, barely with a voice loud enough to be heard by the others; his ears were completely red, revealing his embarrassment.

“He’s gonna overheat if you go on, he was raised in Humilitas after all.” Yoongi smirked, patting his friend on the back while the rest laughed.

* * *

The second and third days went by just like that, and by the evening of the third day the Great Order visited them once again, this time to confirm their decision. Everyone reunited in the living room just like on the day they had arrived and talked things out, making sure the seven of them were on board with it, that they all understood the implications of forming a Family.

“So, does everyone agree to form part of this Family and carry out the responsibilities of the clans?” The representative of the Temperance clan asked for a last time.

“Yes, we all agree to this. It is a great honor and we’re willing to fulfill that tasks that have been trusted to us.” Namjoon answered for them, firmly. They had discussed this for hours and no one could be more confident about their decision.

“Very well then, be prepared, we shall start with the ritual tomorrow without fail.” And with that the Great Order bid farewell and left. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment and to talk to me on my Tumblr [@not-majestic-bluenicorn](http://not-majestic-bluenicorn.tumblr.com) and on my Twitter [@soft_bluenicorn](http://www.twitter.com/soft_bluenicorn)!
> 
> If you send me a message telling me who you are in the comments, I'll follow back!


	3. Very Important Announcement (Seriously, please read)

So, as some of you might know from talking to me or the replies in your comments, I’ve been having a somewhat hard time personally because a lot of things have happened since the start of July, both in my country and in my personal life. Don’t worry, I am not writing this to tell you I’ll stop updating all my stories, but there  _ has _  been a change in my schedule and since I’ll start college soon I figured it would be best to make things clear right now.

First of all, I  _ am _  going to cancel one my stories, that is Lost in the dream, a MONSTA X fanfic I started over a month ago but have not updated since. There’s a very simple reason: it’s terrible, mediocre. I love the idea and it was one of the fics I was the most excited to write but in the end, no matter how hard I try, I hate the first chapter and haven’t been able to continue writing the rest of the fic. Because of this, I will eliminate the story of my ao3, try to fix it and come back with it at a later time.

The second, and the most important thing out of it all: I am changing the schedule for the other fanfics. I don’t know why I thought I could bear the stress and responsibility of writing five different stories a week, it clearly did not work, but because I don’t want to suspend some in favor of others I’ve come up with a schedule. One week I’ll update two stories and the next one I’ll update the other two, and so on; I will always update on Wednesdays and Fridays.

I believe this will allow me to write better, it will give me more time to edit (you might have noticed but I don’t really edit my stories because I always finish writing the chapters the day I’m supposed to post them) and therefore will also give better quality to the chapters. You all have been showing a lot of love to my stories and deserve nothing but quality writing from me to enjoy the trip; I do apologize for my lame attempt at being a responsible writer.

I am writing this on a very sunny Saturday, July 28, so I will be starting with this new schedule by next week with Reflection on Wednesday and In the pits of hell on Friday. I hope you can understand my decision to do this and that you will continue to enjoy whichever of my stories it is that you enjoy.

Thank you a lot for all the lovely comments you have left in my stories as well, they do truly motivate me to continue writing, it’s just that life is a bit unfair at times and I’m terrible at dealing with that.

Thanks for reading this very important notice, have a nice day ^^


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ritual starts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am finally back, good lord it has been a long time. I am back stronger than ever, I promise, thank for all of you who have read until now and I hope you have not given up on this fanfic yet oanfkds Anyways, here's the new chapter, please enjoy and don't forget to leave a comment, it means a lot to me!

The day of the ceremony arrived quickly; they barely had time for a brief farewell before the seven of them were each taken back to their respective clans.  The Family ceremony consisted of three main parts: the cleansing, the initiation and the link. While The cleansing and the initiation took place on the same day, the link involved a huge celebration the following day to welcome the new Family. The members of the new Family weren’t allowed to see each other and were supposed to spend the first day with their clans.

The first part consisted of a thorough session of cleansing and purification to make sure their souls were ready to receive the bond. The initiation on the other hand was the official way of welcoming someone to the clan as an active member, and it was also the ceremony in which they received their weapons, blessed and protected by angels; this ceremony was considered an oath, a promise to fulfill their tasks as protectors of all that’s good.

The third and final part of the ceremony occurred the next night. It was, of course, the most important part of all the process because it was there and then the moment in which they tied their souls together in an unbreakable bond, a bond far more important than any other. After the bond was made there was absolutely no way of backing out, once you had bonded with the other six people, you could never replace any of them, even if they were to die.

Knowing this made the seven of them extremely nervous; every member in training in any of the seven clans had heard stories about what it was like to be part of a Family, they had all heard stories about how incredibly it felt, like you were never alone and there was always a place to return to. But they had all heard stories about losing a Family member, about the unfathomable pain and the emptiness it left behind. So obviously, they were worried, but there was a strange excitement to it that kept them from rejecting the offer. After all they had trained all their lives just to be able to join a Family and fulfill their purpose.

Each clan had its own sacred space dedicated to the individual rituals; they were similar to the Events Hall, except considerably smaller and with decorations dedicated to the respective virtue and commanding angel. All of them were taken to the respective place and were welcomed by all the active members of their clan; those that, like they were about to, had performed the Family ceremony in the past.

* * *

Jimin was guided into the sanctuary by his clan members. The building wasn’t too big, but it was abundantly decorated with white quartz and depictions of fire; at the back there was a small platform and on its center stood the statue of none other than the angel Uriel. Jimin observed as other clan members prepared the place for the ritual in front of the statue before he was taken to another room through a small hallway at the left of the building. Once in the room he was given ceremonial clothes to change into; they were simple and white colored, and fell heavily on his thin frame when he put them on.

Once he had finished changing, Jimin was guided into the hallway once again and towards another room at the end of it. This room was bigger than the one of before, albeit poorly lit and considerably more empty than every other room he had seen so far; at the center stood a tall man whom Jimin recognized as the representative of the Castitas clan, he was dressed in similar ceremonial clothing but with more decorations and smiled gently at Jimin despite the situation.

“Welcome, Jimin, the chosen candidate of the Castitas clan to form part of the new Family, congratulations.” He said, signaling him to come closer. “You’re about to start the first part of the ceremony, the cleansing ritual. Just like the rest of your soon-to-be family members, you will have to undergo a trial before we can receive you as part of the Clan officially; chastity is about being able to refrain being distracted and tempted by evil forces, and thus, you shall prove that you’re capable of that. You have to sit in the middle of this room and meditate, don’t let anything tempt you, I know you can do it.”

Both of them bid farewell at the end of the explanation and Jimin was left alone inside the empty room. Carefully, he sat on the floor as comfortably as possible and closed his eyes; as he worked his thoughts in order to fall into a state of meditation, he heard how the door was opened and multiple people came in and left shortly after. He kept his eyes closed tightly until he started perceiving the aroma of food, which became so strong he decided to see what was going on.

All around him were tables full of the most appetizing looking food he had seen in a while. He couldn't quite understand why it all was there until his stomach growled, protesting at the lack of breakfast from that morning, and then he understood what they had meant with avoiding temptation. Jimin took some deep breaths before closing his eyes again, he wasn't going to be defeated so easily, he refused to lose.

* * *

Jin looked at the white robes that made up the ceremonial clothes he was wearing; he didn’t quite like how they looked on him, but at least they kept his mind away from rolling around in the feeling of nervousness. His thoughts wandered back to the decorations of the Temperantia Sanctuary, to how the statue of Samael stood magnificently surrounded by all sorts of candles with different carvings, each one of them lit up with a fire so bright it seemed surreal.

The young man couldn't help but wonder how it was to live with other clans; Temperantia was a great community but there was always a sense of underlying pressure to living among his clan members. They were always so serious, so obsessed with presenting the best side of themselves, it almost seemed like they lacked the ability to express emotions in front of others, out of the intimacy of close friends and family.

As Jin wondered about these things, one of the clan members came looking for him and took him to another room, located a little deeper inside the sanctuary of Temperantia. He was led inside this room, which was completely dark and the only light was the one filtering through the door from the hallway; he couldn't really tell how big the room was or if there was something inside at all, and soon he couldn't even see his own hands in front of him as the door closed, leaving him inside.

He had been given no indications or rules, not even an explanation regarding his mission; this made him somewhat nervous, so he decided to focus on his breathing and not let the darkness of the room make him lose his composure. Being inside the pitch black room was somewhat dizzying, and not knowing what he was supposed to do in there made him feel confused, so he decided to at least find a wall to lean against so he could support himself and think better about what he would do next.

As he started to walk, presumably towards a wall, the room shifted and transformed to a hallway very different to what he had seen in the sanctuary, but still very familiar: it was the Great Order's house. He immediately knew this should be caused by a member of the Patience clan, known to be the only ones capable of using magic like this; this made him feel a little better, at least he now had an idea of what he was dealing with.

Jin walked towards the end of the hallway and opened the last door; the room was simply decorated with some paintings and there was a small coffee table in the center of it surrounded by comfortable looking sofas. There was a person sitting in the sofa in front of him, with his back turned towards Jin; he approached the setting and sat in front of the figure, which he recognized as the representative of his own clan.

“Good to see you here Jin.” They said, smiling at him and placing the cup they had been drinking from on top of the table.

“That's what I should be saying.” Jin replied. “However, I must ask why exactly am I here?”

“Well, you're about to become part of a new family, but I've been observing you for a very long time, Seokjin, so I wanted to make an offer to you.” The representative said, smiling softly at him.

“You're incredibly talented, the new face of our clan, and I think it would be great if we could have you as something more, something even better; I'll give you the chance to become someone prestigious in the clan, you will be recognized by everyone and have a lot of personal gain.” They said, excitedly making grand gestures with their hands. “Or you can choose to go back to the original plan and form part of a family and do the tasks you have been chosen to perform, what do you think?”

Jin looked at them, confused at the sudden offer, he didn't think it could be possible to do something like that; and while the offer sounded quite tempting, could he just abandon the other members of his family just like that? It didn't quite make sense, he needed to make a decision.

“Well...”

* * *

Yoongi followed the young woman that was guiding it to what seemed to be some sort of basement located under the sanctuary for Caritas. He kept thinking back on the inside of the main room, the statue of Michael in the center of it was enough to make him shiver; the fact that the most important angel known by anyone was the one that represented his clan made him feel pressured, and he could almost feel the blade of his sword pressed on his neck.

He didn't have time to wonder about it however, didn't have time to ask himself if he was really fit for the task since the woman kept walking faster at times, as if they were late for something. Yoongi held the white ceremonial clothes tightly with his hands, trying to use it as a way of focusing in the reality of what he was about to go through.

Yoongi wasn't usually this nervous, if ever; he knew himself that he was good enough to have been chosen in the first place, but what if he failed? He didn't want to, he doubted anyone would want to fail such an important part of the ritual, but to him it was even more important so.

The woman stopped in front of a door which she opened with a key Yoongi had never seen before. She hurried him to enter the pitch black room and closed the door behind him, leaving Yoongi all by himself; confused, he started walking around and the room shifted into what seemed like an apartment complex. Everything felt hot around him, like he had been thrown inside a furnace, and as he walked around he managed to spot big, hot flames that were devouring the place.

He looked around, confused and fearful, unable to make sense of whatever was happening since he had been thrown into that situation so suddenly. Yoongi spotted the exit of the building and walked towards it, but as he did he heard the cries of someone, it sounded like a small child. He gave another look towards the exit before running in the opposite direction; he couldn't just leave a small child to be swallowed by the flames.

“Where are you?!” He screamed, running around trying to not be stopped by the uncomfortable outfit he was wearing.

The crying became louder, and he eventually was able to spot a small boy, kneeling among the flames. He immediately ran towards him, and as he grabbed the boy by the hand he heard the furious grumble of the wall next to them breaking down. Yoongi sprinted, trying to get the child to safety, but there wasn't enough time.

He made a quick decision and pushed the child away in the last second, feeling as the pieces of the concrete wall fell on top of him, hitting his legs. Yoongi screamed at the excruciating pain, but as he heard the child cry louder he calmed himself down and regained his breath; he pushed the debris from on top of his legs and tried to move them, but only one of them was fully responding.

“We’re going to be okay, don’t worry.” He told the child, ignoring his own pain.

His leg didn’t stop him and with a lot of effort he stood up and dragged himself towards the child, grabbing him by the hand again and pulling him towards the exit, they needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

* * *

This was the first time Taehyung had ever set foot inside the Industria sanctuary, as it was a place only those who were going through the Family ritual and those who had Families themselves could enter. As he admired the decoration spread around the inside of the building he couldn't help but feel a sense of solemnity, there were a lot of flowers around the place, he recognized them to be irises, a flower that represented Gabriel, the angel that his clan followed.

As he changed clothes into the ceremonial white robes he couldn't help but fidget around, wondering what his challenge would be and what were the other members of his Family doing as well. He couldn't help but especially wonder about Jimin, his best friend since Taehyung began to have the ability to remember things, more so because he knew that the Castitas clan was very strict towards the members.

“Let's go, Taehyung.” A young man said from the door of the room in which he had been changing.

Taehyung nodded a bit too enthusiastically and followed the man outside of the room and back into the narrow hallway. They walked for a few minutes until they reached another room, which was completely full of small, thin white candles; Taehyung didn't think he had even seen so many candles in one sole place, and he couldn't understand either why they were there.

“He're, I'm supposed to give you this. Once you enter you can't come out until the challenge is finished, good luck.” The young man said, giving him a small box of matches and closing the door behind Taehyung once he had walked in.

He looked around, confused as he clutched the match box in his hands, it was obvious that he was expected to light up all those candles, although that seemed like quite the impossible task. Still, Taehyung had been given a task, and if there was something his clan had taught him was that backing up from a task was not an option; he couldn't give up until it had been completed.

Carefully, he moved towards one of the extremes of the room before lighting a match and turning on the first candle. He tried to use the same match to light up the following few candles but its flame quickly extinguished; with this in mind he decided to grab one of the candles he had managed to light and use its fire to light the others.

He observed the big room, so full of candles, and carefully took a deep breath. It would probably take him hours to light them all up, so he had to be very attentive to not turn them back off; still, regardless of how obnoxious the task was, he carried on and continued to work on lighting up the candles, clearing his mind of any intrusive thoughts and all temptation that would try to pull him away from the task at hand.

He needed to do it not only for himself, but also for his Family.

* * *

The Patientia sanctuary was brightly decorated with colorful tapestry and ingenious designs that seemed to create a different reality altogether. Jungkook couldn't help but think it looked beautiful and quite different from what anyone could expect, and it also contrasted amazingly with the statue of the angel Azriel that held two menacing spears in his hands.

It was almost funny to the youngest the way his patron angel looked so scary when Patientia clan members were probably some of the least scary when looked at, especially so because they were supposed to always maintain a calm and collected semblance without looking menacing or frightening.

He didn't have much time to dwell on this as he was urged into a small room to change his clothes into a white ceremonial outfit that was mostly made out of robes. Jungkook looked at the clothes with curiosity, thinking he hadn't really used that much white ever in his life, not even when he had been welcomed into the clan.

One of his clan members went to fetch him and took him to another room, this one was bigger and there was a single chair in the middle of it. Jungkook was told to sit down and wait, and so he did, wondering what the personal challenge he had to overcome would be.

Eventually, the lights inside the room went out and after a few minutes turned on again, revealing five human figures standing in front of Jungkook who was still sitting on the chair. The five people were wearing black masks that covered the entirety of the face, not allowing him to see who they were. He looked at them with a questioning gaze, wondering what this was about, but he found out soon enough.

“Jeon Jungkook.” One of the masked people said, although the youngest couldn't quite figure who it was. “You must feel like you're enough to be in this Family, don't you?”

Jungkook felt taken aback, confused by the sudden question, which seemed kinda harsh. The five people laughed collectively, sending shivers down his spine at the weird act that was going on in front of him.

“Poor you, you're not nearly good enough, and you will never be at the level of... Who is it, the one idiot who you admire, Kim Namjoon? He's always pretending to be so humble, so proper, it's quite sickening.” Another voice said this time.

He stirred on his sit, feeling uneasy. Who were this people and what gave them the right to say those things about him, about his family members? But he had to remember, to hold onto the knowledge that this was just a challenge, nothing about it was real and he knew it.

“At least he's not as bad as the one named Jimin, he looks so small and fragile he will probably die in the first few missions, if they even manage to complete the challenges they have to face to become a Family.” The mention of death made him sick, and he gripped the border of chair tightly.

Jungkook took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes, everything they were saying were nothing more than lies, and he had to remember that; he wouldn't let them control him with their empty words, he was better than them and that the anger that fought to control him. He could do it, Jungkook could win the challenge and he was going to prove it.

* * *

The statue of Ramiel seemed to be looking back at Hoseok as he stared at it while following his guide towards the deepest parts of the sanctuary; he smiled a bit, just for himself, thinking of how he was now going to form part of the new family, of how he had been chosen as the best of the Humanitas clan to represent it and all of its members.   
  
He felt infinitely grateful about this, especially because coming from the outside him and his family had started out as nothing, almost shunned out from the rest of the clan; but now, being recognized as someone good enough to form part of a Family and serve his clan for the well being of humanity, he felt like he had come very far.   
  
Without hesitation, he changed into the ceremonial clothes and followed his fellow clan member towards the room in which his challenge would take place. Hoseok didn't really know what the challenge was about, none of them had been told about it, but it could only be something related to the value his clan represented: kindness.   
  
Humanitas was usually recognized as the brightest and more cheerful clan, they were always out to help everyone regardless of their status, and Hoseok had always felt like he fit the stereotype of the clan really well, he liked feeling like that and wanted to make his clan proud about it. A few minutes later they reached another room, it was very dark inside but Hoseok walked in without thinking it twice, allowing the door close behind him.   
  
Minutes went by and nothing happened, so he decided to move around and try to figure out what to do. Slowly, the room transformed into the alleys of a busy city; he looked around, marveled at what was happening around him, although still not very sure about what his mission was.   
  
He walked around the city for a while, trying to figure out what exactly he had to do to get out of there. As he did this, Hoseok spotted a couple of men harassing a young woman who seemed a bit scared and was trying to get away from them without success.   
  
“Are you having fun?” He said, not hesitating when he walked towards the three of them to interrupt them.   
  
Both of the young men looked at him, obviously annoyed by the interruption. Hoseok gifted them a smile and told them to leave her alone, not wanting to cause more trouble; they pushed him around, trying to get them to leave, but his insistence eventually made them leave first.  He approached the woman who was quick to thank him.    
  
“Are you okay?” Hoseok asked, smiling at her and checking if she was alright.   
  
“Yes, they were a bit rude but I'm not very hurt, thank you very much.” She replied, shyly, shrugging away Hoseok's worry when he asked about the bruise on one of her arms.   
  
Barely some minutes passed when they both heard the undeniable screech of tires against the pavement, and when Hoseok turned around he saw that one of the men that had been harassing the girl had been run over by a car. Despite knowing what they had been doing before he rushed towards the man and knelt beside him; immediately putting in practice what he knew about first-aid, he was not about to let someone die.

* * *

Namjoon was calmly sitting inside the dark room; there was a single light hanging from the ceiling and in front of him was another chair, occupied by what, from the looks of it, seemed to be some sort of demon. When he had heard about what a Family ritual consisted like, he hadn't expected it would include encountering a demon, let alone in a setting so calm as this one.

“Hello, Kim Namjoon.” The demon said, its deep and raspy voice filling the emptiness of the room. “I would introduce myself but I don't really have a name I can use for myself.” It laughed, a laugh so void of anything that could be even remotely associated to happiness.

“Hello, demon.” He replied, his arms crossed over his chest, feeling insecure about the situation.

“You don't seem too pleased to see me here.” The demon continued, the attempt of a smile contorting its face into something disgusting.

“Well, I'm supposed to hunt you down, I'm not sure why you would expect a warm welcome.” Namjoon said with a bite, feeling oddly uncomfortable in the presence of such a being.

“Of course, makes sense. You don't seem to enjoy small talk either, so I'll cut down the chase.” The demon grinned, fidgeting on the chair. “Who are you, Kim Namjoon? Do you know what being here implies?”

“I am a member of the Humilitas clan, and being here implies I've been chosen to form part of a new family to hunt down vile creatures like you, I don't see why those questions are important.” He replied, keeping his tone as neutral as possible.

“Of course you would reply something like that, poor soul brainwashed by such a system.” Namjoon raised an eyebrow at those words, confused. “What? Don't look at me like that, isn't that what you have been told? But of course they don't tell you about the hardships, about how you'll be enslaved until you're too old to continue fighting or one of you dies...” The demon seemed to be enjoying himself too much, watching Namjoon struggle to understand what he was trying to say by those words.

“And what about that? We do this to help others, no for our own personal gain, this has nothing to do with us as individuals.” He said. 

“Of course not, it is never about you, but it could be, if you came with me. You were taught to say you're a member of the Humilitas clan and you were raised to fight us, just another part of a bigger system that could be easily disposed. But it doesn't have to be like that Kim Namjoon, we could give you far more, you would never be forgotten, you would receive so much praise, you would have an identity.”

The words made Namjoon feel confused, uncertain, he didn't quite understand why he was receiving such an offer. He uncrossed his arms and placed his hands on top of his legs, repeating the words of the demon inside his head; he remembered what he had thought looking at the Great Order members, how they had looked like the life image of the virtue they represented, and he remembered wondering if his destiny was to become like that.

However, he couldn't be swayed by those thoughts. Namjoon knew the demon was trying to confuse him, to get him to fail the challenge, and he wasn't going to fail. He had never needed the fame or the recognition, it was already too much that he was considered the best in his generation.

“I think you're wrong about me.” Namjoon said. “I'm not going anywhere with you.”

“Oh really? Am I that wrong?” The demon said, before vanishing.

* * *

The doors of the rooms in which they had been facing their challenges opened, revealing the faces of the Great Order members, satisfied and proud.

“Congratulations, you have overcome the challenge, you are worthy of becoming part of our clan.” They said, welcoming the new members of their clans and of the new Family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment and to talk to me on my Tumblr [@not-majestic-bluenicorn](http://not-majestic-bluenicorn.tumblr.com) and on my Twitter [@soft_bluenicorn](http://www.twitter.com/soft_bluenicorn)! I have also created a [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/soft_bluenicorn) for all of you shy people~
> 
> If you send me a message telling me who you are in the comments, I'll follow back!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new Family is formed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is very late right now and I'm very tired so the only thing I'll say today is, enjoy the chapter!

The seven candidates were taking back to the main hall of the respective sanctuary. Once there the white robes they had been used were covered with more layers of colorful fabric and impressive embroidery; as soon as they were all dressed, the second part of the ceremony started: summoning the angels.

It wasn't a very difficult thing to do when it came to Family ceremonies because there was a pact to do so, as long as they had all the materials and did it in the sanctuary it was a fairly easy practice, but outside of there, getting the chance to interact with an angel was basically impossible. The materials had already been prepared, candles, incense, crystals and flower offerings surrounded the statues as the clan members chanted in one voice.

For a moment, it was like the sanctuaries froze over, before a blinding light shone from the statues and eventually died down, revealing the androgynous human forms of the angels. Something everyone always agreed on was that they were beautiful, so beautiful in fact that their mere presence spread a feeling of terror inside the hearts of anyone that saw them, the seven candidates were no exception to this.

There was a moment of silence in which the angels studied the seven candidates in front of them, after a while they turned towards the statues of themselves and from them drew seven different weapons: Uriel drew a saber for Jimin, Samiel got a bow for Jin, Michael gave Yoongi a couple of short blades, Gabriel presented a pike to Taehyung, Azriel gave Jungkook a watch, Ramiel took a mace for Hoseok and Raphael gave Namjoon a small bottle with a dark liquid and a bag with darts.

“The weapons we give to you and your family members are all blessed and enchanted by us, they will be tied to your soul and nothing shall happen to them as long as you remain safe. They will not run out or become old and rusty, but they symbolize a great responsibility and shall something happen to you or to them by demonic force, it will be rendered useless and you will die.” The angels spoke, and it was like several voices speaking at once.

“Do you accept to bear this responsibility and use the weapons we give to you to protect the world from all evil, as you've been taught to do?” They asked, walking towards the seven candidates and handing them the weapons.

“I accept.” They all replied, grabbing their respective weapon and sealing the promise with the angels.

After the pact had been formalized the angels returned to their statues, a member of each clan approached them and every angel shed a single tear that was collected in small vials, since they would be essential to the last part of the ceremony. When all that was finished, the blinding light appeared once again and then the angels were gone, leaving the sanctuary with a strange feeling of emptiness.

They leave the sanctuaries and each clan goes to have their own private celebration. A giant feast is prepared for members and young people in training alike, all in celebration and favor of the candidates that had just become an official part of their clans, an honor that was only surpassed by becoming part of a family.

As the celebration of Humilitas went on, Namjoon sat calmly by his side of the table as he sipped on his drink while watching the other members of his clan eating and enjoying the celebration. It didn't feel like the dinner was in his name at all, but more like it was an excuse to have food and drinks, however he didn't mind this as everyone seemed very happy.

Namjoon supposed the rest of his Family was in a similar situation to him, and although he didn't know them well he could bet that Taehyung and Hoseok were the ones enjoying themselves the most, which was something kind of cute to think about. His thoughts were filled up with thoughts of them, of wondering about the performance in the first two parts of the ceremony, he just couldn’t help but worry and think about the celebration of next day, about the stress of the preparations highlighted by his eventual union with the other members.

There was a feeling of uncertainty settled on his chest, but it was accompanied by something else, warm and delicate that he couldn't quite point out. Maybe it was excitement, maybe something else, but he decided to focus on that feeling rather than on his nerves, and gave himself to the cheerful feeling of the celebration. Ultimately, there was nothing he could do but wait for tomorrow.

* * *

The next day started very early, even though the bonding celebration wouldn't occur until the sun had set, every clan member had to help prepare the Events Hall and the candidates for the Family. The seven of them were woken up early as well, and after a short breakfast they were taken to cleanse at the sanctuaries.

That day they weren't allowed to meet each other again, and as the time went by and everyone became even more hectic they couldn't help but feel more anxious. None of them could move by their own without someone following them closely, they were not allowed anywhere close to other clans or the Events Hall, and it was starting to become quite stressing.

“This is too much.” Namjoon told his mother while he waited inside one of the small rooms of the Humilitas sanctuary as his clothes were prepared. “Was it like this too when you joined your Family?”

“Yes, it hasn't changed at all, this is what tradition is after all.” She said with a smile, chuckling slightly. ““I recall being more nervous on my Family ceremony than when I married your father.”

“I can clearly see why.” Namjoon huffed, tugging at his shirt as he stared down the rests of the meal he hadn't been able to finish from how nervous he was. 

“Don't worry too much about it, there's not much time left and the ritual is quite easy, you'll be fine.” She assured, and Namjoon nodded, he trusted his mother after all.

“Okay, the ceremonial robes are ready, Mr. Namjoon can you put on the suit please?” A female servant from the Great Order said as she entered the room, presenting the ceremonial clothes to both Namjoon and his mother.

They were fairly similar to the ones he had used last night during the second part of the Family ritual, however, the embroidery was different and it depicted the purpose and mission of each of the seven virtues, highlighting the Humilitas clan since it was for him. There was also an added stole of a darker color that had Raphael's cane and a fish embroidered on one of its ends, symbolizing the clan he was part of.

After going through the ceremony, every member of the family received the clothes as a gift for becoming one with their clans; the ceremonial cloths were rarely ever used again, and remained like more of a symbol than actual clothes that could be worn. Some Families used theirs during funerals for one of their members, but other than that, they remained as a reminder of their promise and their place in the clans.

Namjoon's mother sighed, a nostalgic smile spreading on her face as she observed the ceremonial clothes with a critical eye. He could tell his mother was thinking back to her own ceremony as a new Family member, and he wondered if his mother had felt the same things he was feeling at that moment as the prospect of becoming part of a real Family became even realer each second.

The female servant and his mother left to let him change clothes; Namjoon put on a simple suit that was to be worn under the robe so that he could take it off after the ceremony and enjoy the celebration in more comfortable clothes. Once he was done, he let them back in to help him get into the robes and finish the last details of the preparation.

Namjoon had barely noticed the pass of time while he had been getting ready to attend his own ceremony, and now that the sun was setting the stars and the moon became more visible, reality dawned on him with too much force. He anxiously paced around the hallways of the sanctuary, the servant chasing him down to keep him from ruining his appearance; it felt like everything was taking too long.

And then, just as he was about to start what was probably the fifteenth trip, servants from the Great Order came to pick him up and take him to a car that would drive them to the Events Hall. During the Family ceremonies, the new members were introduced through back entrances so they wouldn't be able to meet the rest of their Families yet, and in all honestly all this useless secrecy was getting on Namjoon's nerves.

They sat him in a little waiting room, from where he could hear the Great Order members initiating the ceremony by welcoming everyone. He held the stole tight with his hands as he listened the speech with attentive ears, they were speaking about the importance of Families and their promise to the Order and the clans, reminding everyone of their own commitment and mission.

Finally, the welcoming speech finishes and the Great Order calls the new Family's members to the altar. A servant comes to pick Namjoon up and guides him out through a very small corridor that connects to the main hall; everything is brightly decorated with floral arrangements and symbols related to the clans.

As he goes up the altar, Namjoon sees the others for the first time since the whole ceremony had started. Like him, they're all wearing ceremonial robes of different colors, all with embroidery related to their own clans as well as a stole with the images related to their angels. They all look at each other, taking their images whole, and the moment is heightened by the absolute silence that governs the hall.

While they observe each other, the Great Order prepares the drink they all have to share in order to become bonded. They hold a golden cup and pour water inside it, right after they add the tears of the angels that had been collected the previous day; the water changes and turns a dark red, looking almost like blood. After that they hand the cup to Jimin, who's standing right next to Namjoon, and the final part of the ceremony officially begins.

“Candidates, you have been chosen to form part of the new Family that will have the mission to protect humanity from evil, giving your lives in battle if it is necessary to do so.” The Humilitas representative said, standing outside of the circle and looking at them. “By drinking from this cup, which contains the tears of the seven angels that lend their strength to our clans, you will become one through a bond far stronger than any other known by humankind. If you accept the responsibility that this represents, drink from the cup and share it to your left, until the circle has been completed.”

Jimin looked at the others one last time before drinking from the cup and passing it towards Jin who was standing to his left; the cup was passed to each one of them until it eventually landed on Namjoon’s hands, he lifted the cup to his lips and drank all of what was left. As the cup was emptied, a strange warmth spread to every single part of his body, he looked at the others just to notice similar reactions in all of them, and he guessed it must be the bond finally forming among them.

In just a few seconds, it was like their perspective of the world had changed, and suddenly it was so much richer, so much warmer, and there was no doubt that they could feel each other in a way they had never been able to feel any other human. And if Namjoon had to put a name to it, he would've bet that whatever he was feeling were the souls of his Family, and it was like nothing he had ever felt before.

The cup was retrieved and a sudden wave of excitement spread throughout the clans as they cheered for the newly formed Family while they were left in a state of stupor, looking at each other like it was the first time they were meeting. And maybe it was, in a sense, the first time they were meeting like that, with a freshly established bond that was supposed to tie them together even beyond death, and there was certainly something thrilling about that.

Almost immediately after everyone was dismissed to enjoy the celebration, the clans hogged the new Family and filled them up with compliments and congratulations. They were pulled apart to talk and also spent a moment with their families and other friends, barely having any time together, when the only thing they wanted to do was talk about what they had just experienced.

With some effort and insistence, Namjoon managed to pry himself away from the group of elders that were talking to him about his new responsibilities and went outside to breathe some fresh air. He was very thankful about everyone's kind words and congratulations, but in the end it felt too suffocating and stressing to be there after the day they had just gone through.

“Maybe I should try to look for the others.” He said to himself as he took off the robe and the stole, leaving only the suit.

As he thought on the best way of looking for the others without getting dragged around again, Jimin and Taehyung walked out of the building and approached Namjoon immediately after having spotted him. He smiled slightly, a little calmer knowing there were two people less to look for.

“Hyung! You managed to escape too.” Jimin said with a smile, he looked a bit tired as he took off his own set of ceremonial clothes. "I managed to get Tae with me.”

“Yeah... They got very excited, I could barely breathe in there.” Namjoon agreed, leaning against the exterior walls of the Events Hall.

There was something strange about being with them now, it was like he could constantly feel them, like his senses had been heightened so much he could just tell about the others presences. Jimin and Taehyung looked slightly uncomfortable as well, probably experiencing something similar to what Namjoon was feeling, and he could perfectly understand why they looked so out of place.

“I'll try to get the others, so wait here.” Namjoon said, returning to the inside of the building and doing his best to avoid his clan members as he looked for the rest of his Family.

Having taken his ceremonial clothes off, he managed to navigate the place a little more easily, and he eventually found Hoseok, Yoongi and Jin and took them out of the hall. He hadn't been able to find the youngest of them however, so he was surprised to find Jungkook outside talking with Jimin and Taehyung as they waited for the rest.

“You're back! Jungkook arrived shortly after you left, I guess we're complete now.” Taehyung said.

The three of them were sitting on the ground despite the formal attire they were wearing, and the rest decided to join them after carefully putting away their ceremonial clothes. They were finally together after a very long day, and somehow that made the feeling that had spread ever since drinking the tears a lot stronger.

“So I guess, it's official now, right? We're a Family.” Jin spoke after a weird moment of silent spent just looking at each other.

“Pretty much.” Hoseok nodded, smiling brightly at them. “It feels really weird, is this how it is supposed to feel?”

“Like there's a constant presence with you?” Yoongi said, complementing his question. “I think so, yes, from what I have heard.”

They fell into an awkward silence once again, not knowing well what to do with themselves. Just a week ago it had seemed like something uncertain and almost impossible, but now they were bound together although they barely knew each other beyond their names and other basic information.

“I still can't believe I am a part of this.” Jungkook said, looking at the floor rather than at the rest of them. “It had always felt like just a dream.”

“Well you better believe it, we're together in this now... And I'm sure we'll do great somehow.” Namjoon said with a reassuring tone, feeling the weight of leadership on his own tongue as he spoke. “We don't know each other very well, but despite what it might seem like, I know we'll do great, so let's work hard towards that goal.”

And, without saying anything, they believed him. Maybe because of the feelings his voice produced on them, maybe due to the effects of the bond, but whatever was the reason, they trusted him and decided that they would do whatever it was necessary to fulfill their mission.


	6. An announcement and an apology

Hello dear readers of mine. I come here with an announcement and a deep apology.

First of all, no, I'm not abandoning any of my fanfics, but I have to make a choice. My life has gotten too busy for me to handle and sadly I have to choose my responsibilities over the things I love, which is writing. However I do not want to give it up so I'm planning to do a dynamic. I tried to join NaNoWriMo this year but I failed miserably cause November is the busiest month of the semester, however I realized I'm able to write around a chapter in just a couple of hours perfectly fine so I decided I want to try doing something for December.

This is what I want to do: I want you to vote for the fanfic you want me to work on, and for the whole month of December I will be working non-stop on it, trying to put out a chapter every day if possible, with the intention of finishing the fanfic in December and making it a little less heavy for me. I know this is really unfair and I feel extreme sorry about this, but I just can't, I really tried but it's just too hard, and I understand now I was too ambitious.

I truly hope this won't upset too many of you guys and that you continue reading my fics in the future, I can understand if you don't. Again, my deepest apologies.

Here’s the link for the poll: [link](https://twitter.com/soft_bluenicorn/status/1067844114811633665?s=21)

**Author's Note:**

> You can go talk to me at my Tumblr [@not-majestic-bluenicorn](http://not-majestic-bluenicorn.tumblr.com) or at my Twitter [@soft_bluenicorn](http://www.twitter.com/soft_bluenicorn%22)!


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